Birkenhead

The Adelaide Brighton Cement Limited's Birkenhead expansion program that got underway in 2011 was successfully completed in 2013 and, as anticipated, has increased the company's cement production by about 40 percent. The Birkenhead cement works is located in north western suburb of Birkenhead, 14 kilometres from the city of Adelaide in South Australia, on the Lefevre Peninsula.

Birkenhead Cement Works Owned by Adelaide Brighton Cement Limited
Adelaide Brighton Cement Limited is a leading Australian construction material and lime producing group of companies that originated in 1882 at Brighton in South Australia. The company has operations in all states and territories in Australia and employs over 1,000 people.

Birkenhead Expansion Increases Capacity to 750,000 Tonnes of Cement a Year
In February, 2011, the company embarked on a major expansion program at the Birkenhead cement works in order to increase its mill capacity to 750,000 tonnes of cement a year. At the same time the project included the installation of the latest in cement manufacturing technology. This technology was introduced to address the works environmental concerns and to have the operation become one of the most efficient cement plants in the world.

Leighton Services Have had a Presence at Birkenhead Since 1940
Major contracting firm Leighton Services has been engaged with the Birkenhead cement works since 1940 when it was involved on an electrical upgrade. Since that first engagement it has continued its association with the company and maintained a continuous presence on the site undertaking various projects such as; Mill 6 PLC automation, the precipitator, the clinker recirculating system, plant security gates, the raw mill, the Number 6 mill, the wharf bulk loading system, the dry mix plant, kiln number four and the bag loading facility. One of Leightons biggest contracts occurred in 2007 when it completed a major plant maintenance shutdown at the Birkenhead cement works within a 30 day period by working 24 hours a day, every day of the week.

Birkenhead Expansion Program Completed
The Birkenhead expansion project that was completed in 2013 included upgrades of the slag dryer, ship loading facility and the cement mill. The new slag dryer will enable Adelaide Brighton to use blastfurnace slag in their cement therefore give it the ability to produce a 'green' cement mix.

Birkenhead Plant Works in Tandem With Angaston Plant
The Birkenhead cement plant has always worked in tandem with Adelaide Brighton's Angaston cement works to ensure the company meets increasing demand in both its domestic and its seaborne supply of cement to its joint venture projects such as Independent Cement and Lime Pty Ltd in Victoria and Sunstate Cement Limited in Queensland.

In 2007, the Birkenhead cement milling efficiency obtained record outputs delivered by improved efficiencies. The plant successfully managed peak power demand constraints by turning off its cement mills when forecast pricing peaked. This policy benefitted demands on the state power grid as well as Birkenhead's own operating costs after power costs rose by around 40 percent.

In 2012 Adelaide Brighton Cement Limited acquired a 30 percent share in
Aalborg Portland Malaysia (APM) and also agreed to a 10 years supply of white clinker beginning in 2015 to replace Adelaide Brighton's domestic. APM is also expanding its own white clinker capacity from 2015 forward. Adelaide Brighton also secured supply agreements of seven and 10 years respectively with two japanese clinker producers. It is also considering ongoing rationalisation of its Australian clinker production capacity as a cost cutting procedure.
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